hates



(No Model.) 3 SheetsSheet 1.

G W. HAYES.

DEVIGE FOR UNLOADING CANAL BOATS.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

0. W. HAYES.

DEVIGE FOR UNLOADING CANAL BOATS.

No. 248,648. Patented Oct. 25,1881.

NA PETERS Pholo'Lilhugnphcn Washmglon. n. c.

UNrrEn STATES PATENT @rrrcno CHARLES W. HAYES, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

DEVICE FOR UNLOADING CANAL-BOATS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 248,648, dated October 25,1881. Application filed September 24, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. HAYES, of Washington, District of Columbia, have invent- 1 ed certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Unloading Canal-Boats, of which the following is a clear, full, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a car designed to transport a canal-boat on a railroad-track. Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the same and a cross-section of a canal-boat in position ready for unloading into the bin below. Fig. 3 shows a section of a boat with the trapdoors open, and through which the cargo is discharged.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the exact manner in which Ihave carried it out.

My invention relates to the unloading of canal-boats, and more especially canal-boats freighted with coal.

It is well known that the cost of handling coal adds materially to the price charged the consumer. By the best means now in use it requires the best part of a day to discharge the cargo of a single boat. In addition to this loss of time, there is a heavy expenditure for labor in handling the coal while transferring from the canal-boat to the vessel designed to convey it to its destination. Some idea of this immense labor may be formed from the published statement that in the year 1871 there were fifteen million five hundred and forty-nine thousand seven hundred and thirty-three tons of coal transported from the various mines of Pennsylvania alone, transported over six hundred and seventy-three miles of canal.

My invention consistsin a combination of devices whereby the cargo is allowed to be discharged directly through the bottom of the boat into a bin or chute, through which it passes to the vessel, ready for transportingit, in combination with devices for elevating the boat out of the water, as hereinafter described and claimed. 7

In the drawings, A represents a railroadtrack, which passes down an incline into the water, and on which moves the car B, which descends to a point below the draft of the freighted boat. The boat 0 is then floated into the car and the tail-board closed. The caris then moved up the incline out of the water to the point of discharge. The car B is provided with the adjustable sliding knees I), operated from either side of the car by the wheel-screws b. By this meansI form a cradle, into which the canal-boat may rest without fear of injury while out of the water. After the boat is floated into the cradle of the car, the knees, by a few turns of the wheel-screws, are caused to press tightly against both sides of the boat and hold it firmly in position until the cargo is discharged and until the boat is again afloat in the water.

It is evident from this description of my cradle that no harm can come to the boat in consequence ofit being taken from the water.

A tail-board forms the rear end of the car, and this islet down while the boat is beingfloated into the cradle, and is then closed and securely locked by any convenient means. As the car passes up the incline and out of the water the boat will gently settle in the cradle, with its stern against the tail-board. In this position 'it is drawn up the incline to a desired point over the bin D, which is provided with aninclined bottom and a chute, by which means the coal is transferred from the boat directly to the vessel without further handling and with little or no loss of time. To accomplish this object I construct my boat with openings in its bottom, through which the coal is allowed to fall into the bin.

In the drawings, E E are hinged doors in the bottom of the boat, provided with proper packing to render them water-tight when closed, as shown in Fig. 2. The screw-rods F F, passing through the cross-beam G and provided with shoulders g, reach a female screw in the hinged doors when the latter are raised to their positions in the bottom of the boat, as shown in Fig; 2. It is evident that by this means the hinged doors can be readily secured in position and be perfectly water-tight. These doors or openings may be placed at any convenient point or points along each side of the keel of the boat; but I prefer placing them at points between the trucks, or near midway the boat, so as not to interfere with the trucks while discharging the freight.

The bottom and sides of the car should be made of slats, or open, so as to ofl'er little or no resistance to the water while passing in or out and no obstruction to the coal while the latter is being discharged through the hinged doors in the bottom of the boat.

I am aware that vessels have heretofore been constructed with permanent and removable cargo-decks placed at a distance from the bottom ofthe vessel, and provided with hatehways, through which the cargo could be dropped into cars running 011 rails secured to the bottom of the vessel; but to this I make no claim, my invention being limited to discharging the cargo through the bottom of the vessel after it has been placed in its cradle and drawn up an incline to its point of discharge.

I am also aware that boats provided with openingsin their bottoms, through which to discharge freight, have been floated into dry locks and the cargo allowed to fall through into chutes; but such is not my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A canal or other boat provided with doors or openings in its bottomthrough which to discharge freight, in combination with a cradle adapted to safely hold the boat while being transported and elevated, substantially as herein described.

2. A canal or other boat provided with openin gs in its bottom through which to discharge freight, in combination with a cradle having adjustable sides and provided with the wheelserews for tightening the same, substantially as herein shown and described.

3. A cradle for the reception of a boat, provided with an open bottom, is allowed to be discharged, substantially as herein set forth.

4:. A boat provided with openings in its bottom for the discharge of freight, in combination with thebin D, having an inclined bottom, and provided with a chute, whereby the freight may be transferred directly from the boat to a vessel, substantially as herein described.

CHARLES W. HAYES.

'Wituesses:

WARREN PARSONS, T. WALTER FOWLER.

whereby the cargo 

